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Old 05-12-2010, 07:30 AM
 
5,019 posts, read 14,094,778 times
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We are currently restoring and renovating a 1920s Tudor Revival. Definitely a money-pit but we love the old gal!

oldhouseweb.com is my fav....errrr I mean second favorite website (after C-D of course ). Seriously though, it's the first place I check when I run into a "headscratcher". Chances are good that someone there has already had the same problem, and found a solution.

Good luck with your decision.
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Old 05-12-2010, 07:34 AM
 
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The house I grew up in was built in the late 1700s and was a stone farmhouse with walls 2.5 feet thick in Pennsylvania. I remember we were usually always freezing year-round! Things I remember that were problems were no insulation between the bottom and first floors - just boards. So you could hear everything from downstairs. It was built before indoor plumbing so the bathrooms had floors that were about one foot higher than the hallway because all the pluming was in the floor. It seemed all my dad did with his spare time was work on the house fixing one problem or another. But we all loved it! It had great character, was beautiful and I miss it.
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Old 05-12-2010, 07:38 AM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,882 posts, read 74,938,731 times
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What do you consider old? Some people think a house built in the 1990s is "really old."

My house was built in 1926; I don't consider it old at all. There are houses around me that were built in the 18th century; they're "staying up" just fine.
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Old 05-12-2010, 08:05 AM
 
2,015 posts, read 3,374,628 times
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I don't like new houses as most have no character. Our house was built in 1927, so not a really old house. It's a traditional stone house and has had major work done to it. We only recently replaced the original windows - about half had stained glass in the top frame. The house is much warmer now. Also recently gutted the kitchen and installed a new one. The roof tiles are no longer manufactured so we have to find old ones somewhere when they need replacing. Central heating was installed 10 years ago, it was previously coal fire heat.

Before we bought the house there was a fireplace in almost every room for heat.

I love my house but I think it's more expensive to maintain than a new one. Will never sell it though.

My favourite house ever is one my aunt owned in Michigan. Built in the 1860's. 5 bedrooms, lots of gorgeous woodwork, 2 staircases, walk in pantry, 1 small side porch, 1 huge front porch, full attic. Gorgeous. Had loads of character!
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Old 05-12-2010, 08:39 AM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,707 posts, read 79,581,771 times
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since your name is "yank in scotland" I assume that you mean "really" old houses. None of which can be found int he US. I have mostly lived in older houses. Our current house was built in 1836. That is old, but not "really old"

Old house living is a labor of love, not an investment. There are a lot of things to keep in mind:

Old systems are not necessarily bad.

For example, radiated heat is far more comfortable, efficient and healthy than forced air heat. However it is pricy and does not provide for cooling inthe summer. You may need to add a spacepack system for cooling.

Old wiring is NOT automatically bad. Knob and tube can be safe if it is done properly and you do not mess with it. What is unsafe is when someone connects knob and tube to romex or starts trying to split power runs. If you do not know enough to determine yourself, hire an electrictican to check it out. However if your electirician automatically states that all knob & tube wiring should be replaced, find another electrician. Some K & T wiring systems are fine. Others are dangerous.

Personally I would not keep aluminum wiring in any cinfiguration, but some people calim that it can be safe if properly done.

Windows. - some of the worst butchery of historic buildings that I have ever seen is the replacement of windows, especially when vinyl is used. In many historical areas it is not permitted to change out to vinyl windows and for good reason. You do NOT need double panes or gas charged windows. What you do need is to make certain that oyur windows are in good shape, replace any that are beyone repair, and use good quality storm windows in the winter. You can get invisible storm windows that go inside the house and do not show ont eh outside at several online vendors. A properly maintained wood window with a good storm window is very enarly as good as double paned or gas charged modern windows, and it will probably last longer without problems. Mavin makes a nice double hung window (Marvin Ultimate double hung) that is often a good match for old house windows. You can have custom made windows built to match, and the cost is usually not much more than buying decent factory made windows, but be careful about who you get to do the work. Look at some examples and get references.

Older homes (excluding really old homes) have lots of neat looking things. Moldings at the floor, chair rail and picture rail level, ornate door and window casings, five or more paneled doos with ornate moldings. Lots and lots of bumpy stuff. All of that bumpy stuff collects dust and dirt. You need to do a lot more cleaning.

Wood floors are much more healthy than carpet. Who ever thought it was a good idea to stick a non removable piece of cloth ont he floor and then walk on it? You tend to do more clenaing with wood floors because you can see the dirt that collects. Cerpeting absorbs and hides the dirt and dust so you do not see it (but it is still there).

Kitchens. the number two item for historic house butchery is kitchens. Granite countertops do nto belong in old homes. Melamine cabinets ditto. If you want that kind of a kitchen, just get a new house with an old home look. Please don not butcher an historic home. There are not that many left and once butchered it is difficult or impossible to put back.

Level floors. - What? Why do floors need to be level? Some people spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to erase the character of age. Just buy an old looking new home if that is what you are looking for.


PLaster walls. Until you live in a plaster wall home, it is hard to understand how neat it is. Modern drywall is flimsey and you can put your hand right through it with little effort. Several oinches of plaster is solid like a rock. Lots of things are different. You need picture rail to hang pictures. (Not required, but you wil make a mess of your walls otherwise) SOund quality is different. The overall feel of a plaster house is different. PLaster holds temperature for a long time. THus a plaster house often stays cool well into the afternoon on a hot day, but once it heats up, it can radiate heat for hours into the night even with the windows open and fans or AC on. There is a reason why so many older homes had sleeping porches.

Plumbing. Simply put old plumbing is bad. It rots out from the inside. If you replace it with PEX, it can be done with very minimal damage to existing walls floors and cielings. Just be careful about who you hire. If they bring a chain saw, kick them out of the house immediately.

For waste lines I always insist on cast iron for all vertical drops that go thourgh common areas, plastic is ok for horozontil lines. Vertical plastic gurggles cast iron makes almost no sound. Plastic conceptually lasts longer, but you will be long dead before new cast iron pipes fail.

Old plumbing fixtures on the other hand can be wonderful. They may take a bit more maintenaince, but they can last forever if maintained. There are some great reproductions available but they are expensive. WHen it comes to plumbing fixtures, do not skimp and avoid Made in china.

LIght fixtures often need ot be rewired, but it is pretty easy to do yourself. Many houses have modernized light fixtures, but you can find approriate period replacments on E-bay. THere are alos some really nice reproductions. Again go for qluaity reproductions do not go to Lowes or Home depot.

Remarkably, many old house materials are still made. For example a company in Southgate Michgian still sells the push button light switches. These are made in china, and you need to buy extras, especially if you get dimmer or three/four way switches. Some of them will be or become defective.

You can find both cheesey and decent reprodution toilets and bathtubs and sinks. Be sure that you look at some old ones first and become able to discern a quality reproduciton. Personally, I prefer true period materials for this.

Flooring, moldings door and window casings and other materials can be obtained at various salvage places that collect materials from homes being torn down. Some people look down on buying from such places becasue it contributes to creating a market for salvaged materials and therby provides incentive to destory existing old homes.

Ok that is enough.


Basically do not do it as an investment. Do it as a hobby and if you love old homes. You will probably lose money and you will need to become handy and good at cleaning.
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Old 05-12-2010, 10:26 AM
 
2,015 posts, read 3,374,628 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens View Post
since your name is "yank in scotland" I assume that you mean "really" old houses. None of which can be found int he US. I have mostly lived in older houses. Our current house was built in 1836. That is old, but not "really old"
On the road I live on many of the houses are from the Victorian era, some are brand new, a few are from the 60's. Down the road is an early 17th century pub, the remains of a church from the 10th century. The majority of homes in Scotland are not 'really' old. Most are from the 20th century.
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Old 05-12-2010, 10:31 AM
 
Location: Knoxville
4,705 posts, read 25,242,318 times
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Couple more points after reading more posts.

Just because it is old does not mean it is forever. The fact that a house has stood 150 years does not automatically mean it is good to go for another 100 years. Same with stone foundations.
Water runoff, and site drainage changes have caused huge problems in some of the homes I have inspected.

While boiler heat is great for some people, not all old homes had boilers. As someone else pointed out, air conditioning is a separate system.

As far as knob and tube go, I have to disagree with Coldjensens. I can't remember the last time I saw a house with knob and tube wiring where it wasn't buried in the attic insulation, or the exterior of the wires was so deteriorated I could see bare wires in places. Not to mention all of the improper and unsafe splices. For the life of me, I can't imagine why someone would want to use an ungrounded wiring system with unprotected conductors.

Charming? Yes old homes are charming.
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Old 05-12-2010, 10:46 AM
 
Location: Western Washington
8,003 posts, read 11,703,411 times
Reputation: 19540
Any house is likely to be a "money pit", that's simply the reality of owning a home, lol. We live in a house that was built in 1932 and I have two words for you "SOLID WOOD". There was little maintenance done to the house for over 30 years and yet there's a whole lot of good, QUALITY solid wood in it. In the 20 years of our ownership, we have done some remodeling of our own and have run into some beautiful, reusable lumber that you simply can not buy anymore. I say go for it. You may have to rewire and add a new breaker box, but again, newer houses have their own boogers too.
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Old 05-12-2010, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Historic Bessemer Alabama
629 posts, read 3,594,293 times
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Our home is 110 yrs old. Don't buy one unless you either have wads o money to spend over and above the purchase price or you are a highly skilled artisan capable of performing all aspects of construction or restoration. Otherwise the home will fall down around you.
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Old 05-12-2010, 02:00 PM
 
584 posts, read 2,143,855 times
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The house was built in the 1800s. There are a lot of mixed opinions on this subject. I've had a 1990 house that was a money pit, because it was built fast, cheap, and apparently not by a professional team in my opinion. So, I guess I still don't know what to think after hearing the different opinions. Obviously I would have an inspection first. The one thing I was shocked about and didn't think of, is the insurance. I don't want to have to pay really high insurance every year. Is there a way to kind of estimate how much insurance would be before I bought the house? I know you can check out the taxes. Any more thoughts? Thanks.
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